LANL2DZ basis sets recontracted in the framework of density functional theory

In this paper we report recontracted LANL2DZ basis sets for first-row transition metals. The valence-electron shell basis functions were recontracted using the PWP86 generalized gradient approximation functional and the hybrid B3LYP one. Starting from the original LANL2DZ basis sets a cyclic method was used in order to optimize variationally the contraction coefficients, while the contraction scheme was held fixed at the original one of the LANL2DZ basis functions. The performance of the recontracted basis sets was analyzed by direct comparison between calculated and experimental excitation and ionization energies. Results reported here compared with those obtained using the original basis sets show clearly an improvement in the reproduction of the corresponding experimental gaps.

Complexation of AlIII by Aromatic Amino Acids in the Gas Phase

The coordination properties of three natural aromatic amino acids (AAAs)-phenylalanine (Phe), tyrosine (Tyr), and tryptophan (Trp)-to AlIII are studied in this work, devoting special attention to the role of the aromatic side chain. A comparison with aluminum(III)-alanine complexes is also presented. The polarizability arising from the ring has been seen to be a key factor in the stability of the complexes, with the order being Trp-AlIII > Tyr-AlIII > Phe-AlIII, starting from the most stable one. Cation-pi interactions between the metal and the aromatic ring are present in the lowest energy conformers, especially for Trp, which seems to be very well suited for these kinds of interactions, occurring with both the six- and five-membered rings of the indole side chain. The most stable coordination mode for the three AAAs is found to be tricoordinated with the N and O of the backbone chain and the aromatic ring, as was found theoretically and experimentally for other metals.

On the Copper(II) Ion Coordination by Prion Protein HGGGW Pentapeptide Model

The interaction of the octapeptide domain of the prion protein with the transition-metal-ion Cu2+ was studied at the DFT level by using the HGGGW pentapeptide as a model to mimic the PHGGGWGQ octarepeat sequence. Ten complexes, in which the metal ion exhibits different coordinations, were considered. Our results indicate that the lowest-energy structure is characterized by a tetracoordinated metal center and that this tendency of the ion to assume the square planar geometry is strong enough to prevent the addition of a further water molecule in its coordination sphere. The role of tryptophan was found to cause a lowering of the system energy due to the stabilizing effect of the electrostatic interaction between the Trp aromatic indole and histidine imidazole rings.

Adult home parenteral nutrition: a clinical evaluation after a 3-year experience in a Southern European centre

AIM

To evaluate the current use of Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) in a Southern European region.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

A total of 159 (86 m, 73 f) HPN patients, mean age 60.1 +/- 14.2 years, BMI 18.8 +/- 3.3kg/m2, consecutively referred to the Artificial Nutrition outpatient Unit of the Federico II University Hospital in Naples (Italy), from January 2000 to December 2002 and treated for at least 4 weeks. Retrospective evaluation of baseline disease, indications and duration of HPN treatment, type of venous access, complications.

RESULTS

In all, 140 (88%) were cancer and 19 (12%) noncancer patients. Main indications were carcinosis in 68 for total, and hypophagia/dysphagia in 62 patients for partial/integrative (to oral-enteral nutrition) HPN; mean duration of HPN was 81.45 +/- 110.86 days of treatment and infection rate 2.89% in the whole population and 2.66% in the 36 patients treated for more than 3 months. No other major complications have been observed.

CONCLUSION

HPN is confirmed to be a safe and effective treatment when prescribed and administered by a trained team.

Spinal subarachnoid hematomas: our experience and literature review

STUDY DESIGN

Spinal subarachnoid hematomas are unusual and difficult to diagnose and the outcome of treatment is influenced by the lesions that frequently accompany them.

OBJECTIVES

To clarify the neuroradiological diagnostic aspects of spinal subarachnoid hematoma as well as the results of treatment.

BACKGROUND

Only recently has subarachnoid hematoma been clearly distinguished from more common subarachnoid hemorrhage and its characteristics have still not been dealt with in detail.

METHODS

A total of 69 cases (3 personal case, 66 published cases) were revised in terms of etiology, diagnostic imaging and the results of both surgical and conservative treatment.

RESULTS

The most common causes of spinal subarachnoid hematoma are coagulopathies (either pharmacologically-induced or resulting from systemic diseases) (40.5%), lumbar puncture for diagnostic or anesthesiological purposes (44.9%) and traumatic injuries (15.9%): these factors may be present singly or variously combined. They may be spontaneous (17.3%) or, in rare cases, associated with aortic coarctation or degenerative vascular diseases. Overall mortality is 25.7%. In the 50 cases in whom long-term follow-up was possible, the outcome of treatment, which is almost exclusively always surgical, was good in 93.5% of 31 patients in whom neurological status on admission was satisfactory and in 15.8% of 19 cases with severe neurological deficits.

CONCLUSIONS

MRI and CT are not usually diagnostic because they are not able to differentiate between a subarachnoid lesion and a subdural one. However, diagnosis may be possible when these investigations detect the CSF or the contrast medium surrounding the hematoma. Although the risks of producing spinal subarachnoid hematoma as a result of LP are remote, this is, in fact, the primary cause in patients with coagulopathies. The results of treatment depend on the patient's initial neurological condition, the severity of any concomitant pathologies, the position of the hematoma and the eventual association of a subdural hematoma.

Brain metastasis from prostate cancer. Report of 13 cases and critical analysis of the literature

Brain metastasis from prostate carcinoma occurs very rarely. We describe 13 patients with single brain metastasis from prostatic cancer. Total removal of the lesions was performed in ten patients. Three patients underwent stereotactic biopsy. All patients were treated with postoperative whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT). Eight patients died for systemic disease after a mean time of 9.2 months with a diagnosis of metastasis. Five patients are still alive at 20, 14, 11, 7 and 6 months, respectively. Even if brain metastasis from prostate cancer is often a terminal event with death occurring within few months from diagnosis, we suggest the same protocol (surgery and/or radiosurgery plus postoperative WBRT) usually adopted to treat brain metastasis from other primitive tumours. A non specific neurological symptomatology and a possible normal dosage of serum specific antigen may contribute to a delay in diagnosis. However, considering the rarity of brain metastasis from prostate carcinoma, standard brain MRI follow-up in men with prostatic cancer does not seem to be necessary yet.

Theory of mind deficits in children with fragile X syndrome

BACKGROUND

Given the consistent findings of theory of mind deficits in children with autism, it would be extremely beneficial to examine the profile of theory of mind abilities in other clinical groups such as fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Down syndrome (DS). Aim The aim of the present study was to assess whether boys with FXS are impaired in simple social situations that require them to understand their own and others' mental states - in essence: do they have a 'theory of mind'?

METHOD

Well-standardized tasks of theory of mind, the location change false belief task and the appearance-reality tasks were employed to examine whether any impairment might be specific to the FXS or part of a more generalized developmental deficit.

RESULTS

The results suggest that children with FXS do have impairment in theory of mind that is comparable to the deficit reported in other groups with learning disabilities such as DS. However, closer inspection of the impairment between these groups revealed qualitative differences in error types (realist vs. phenomenist), suggestive of atypical development that goes beyond general cognitive delay.

CONCLUSION

The findings are discussed in terms of the teasing apart of different components of social cognition in order to identify syndrome-specific deficiencies and proficiencies.

Interaction of cysteine with Cu2+ and group IIb (Zn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+) metal cations: a theoretical study

The structure and energetics of complexes obtained upon interaction between cysteine and Zn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+ and Cu2+ cations were studied using quantum chemical density functional theory calculations with the 6-311++G** orbital basis set and relativistic pseudopotentials for the cations. Different coordination sites for metal ions on several cysteine conformers were considered. In their lowest energy complexes with the amino acid, the Zn2+ and Cd2+ cations appear to be three-coordinated to carbonyl oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur atoms, whereas the Cu2+ and Hg2+ ions are coordinated to both the carbonyl oxygen and sulfur atoms of one of the zwitterion forms of the amino acid. Bonds of metal cations with the coordination sites are mainly ionic except those established with sulfur, which show a small covalent character that become most significant when Cu2+ and Hg2+ are involved. The order of metal ion affinity proposed is Cu>Zn>Hg>Cd.

The epsilon-sarcoglycan gene in myoclonic syndromes

Mutations in the epsilon-sarcoglycan gene (SGCE) are associated with familial myoclonus dystonia, but the full spectrum of the phenotype may not be fully defined. We screened 58 individuals with a range of myoclonic/dystonic syndromes for SGCE mutations. We found mutations (three of them novel) in six (21%) of the 29 patients with essential myoclonus and myoclonic dystonia, but did not find mutations in the 29 patients with other phenotypes.

[Mud and baththerapy in the acne cure]

The skin, it is well know, is an organ of frontier and it is natural seat to natch, or collition, between exogenous stimoli and endogenous responses. Termal water and spud mud revelead their better potency on the skin and for that their tird close attention in dermatology. Our primary pourpose was to evalue eventuals modifications induced by thermal water and mud on healty skin and to know how their alter in significative mode functionals parameters, an alteration of which characterising pathogenetics events in development of acne. They are: follicular keratinisation, sebum synthesis by sebaceum glands, skin inflammation, loss of gate function of epidermidis. Results are showed.

Newly developed basis sets for density functional calculations

Optimized contracted Gaussian basis sets of double-zeta valence polarized (DZVP) quality for first-row transition metals are presented. The DZVP functions were optimized using the PWP86 generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional and the B3LYP hybrid functional. For a careful analysis of the basis sets performance the transition metal atoms and cations excitation energies were calculated and compared with the experimental ones. The calculated values were also compared with those obtained using the previously available DZVP basis sets developed at the local-density functional level. Because the new basis sets work better than the previous ones, possible reasons of this behavior are analyzed. The newly developed basis sets also provide a good estimation of other atomic properties such as ionization energies.

[Water perception and utilization in a sample of students in the province of Viterbo]

Nowadays water quality is certainly one of the issues of major concern. Control on waterway considerably involves public hygiene services and represents a prevention activity and a measure of public health safety, which often is unknown to the population. For this reason the Public Hygiene Service of Viterbo L.H.U. (Local Health Unit) in collaboration with the Institute of Hygiene of the Catholic University of Rome carried out a survey to evaluate perception towards tap water quality in a sample of students. During the last decade tap and mineral water consumption habits turned out to be constant. The great majority of students reported to use widely mineral water at home; mineral water consumption was high regardless of social class. Since our investigation found a large use of mineral water in this town, the L.H.U. could intervene to modify these attitudes, starting up with an education campaign of the population: tap water is indeed subject to quality controls with a higher frequency compared to mineral water.

Theoretical comparison between structural and dynamical features of Dolastatins 11 and 12 antineoplastic depsipeptides

Molecular mechanics (MM) and dynamics (MD) calculations in vacuo and in water have been performed for the natural cyclodepsipeptides Dolastatins 11 and 12 isolated from the sea hare Dolabella auricularia. The analysis of the MD trajectories for the two systems can give useful insight on the backbone structural features, side-chain and peptide-water interactions as well as on the inter- and intra-molecular hydrogen bonds. A comparison between the selected and analysed lowest energy isomers shows the different conformational behaviour of the compounds. Finally, with the aim to ascertain a structure-activity relationship for the two peptides, the interactions of both Dolastatins with water, generic hydrophobic environment, magnesium and calcium ions have been investigated by means of the GRID program.